Ohno's Sixth Medal, a Silver, Ties a U.S. Record

By GREG BISHOP

Published: February 14, 2010

VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Inside the mixed-zone maze at Pacific Coliseum, Apolo Ohno wore his blue bandana and trademark soul patch as he let loose a scream that bounced and echoed down the hallway. His body appeared to follow suit, ping-ponging with energy, as if gravity had allowed for a short break.

The scream came from somewhere deep, somewhere primal, 12 years of training and competing, of skating and dancing, of rising medal counts and historic implications, released in a single moment.

It belonged to Ohno, now the most decorated American man and short-track speedskater in Winter Olympic history. To Ohno, who now stands one medal from surpassing Bonnie Blair for the most won in the Winter Games by an American.

Ohno found symmetry in his latest Olympic quest. Competing in his third Games, three hours from his hometown of Seattle, in the same city where he first skated competitively as a teenager, Ohno secured silver in the 1,500 meters, capitalizing on a late fall by two South Korean skaters he trailed.

It marked his sixth overall medal and completed an even spread -- two gold, two silver, two bronze. On the first day of Olympic competition, Ohno ensured that one medal in any of his three remaining races -- the 500 meters, the 1,000 meters and the 5,000-meter relay -- would place him alone atop United States history, Winter Olympic version.

''I can finish my circle here,'' Ohno said, and by that he meant his career path.

Last month, Ohno sent his short-track speedskating coach an e-mail message, even attached a picture of them posed together with the gold medal Ohno won four years ago prominently displayed.

The message served as a reminder of both what Ohno has already accomplished and the history now in his reach. Ohno signed off with this line, ''We need the same memory again.''

That coach, Jimmy Jang, had called Ohno the best speedskater ever and announced their shared goal here -- four gold medals in four events. Instead, Ohno started with silver in his most unlikely of events.

Of all the individual short track races, the 1,500 remains the most unpredictable, with fortunes dictated by crashes, consistency over three heats and old-fashioned luck. Yet Ohno said he woke up Saturday morning with a smile plastered across his face. In dozens of Olympic races, he insisted he never felt more relaxed.

In both his heat and his semifinal, Ohno stumbled into last-place starts, only to recover with daring, veteran maneuvers, darting outside first and inside later to advance to the only race that mattered. Ohno led for parts of the see-saw final, fell out of medal contention, then received the break that brought him back.

Lee Jung-su of South Korea took the gold medal. The bronze went to J. R. Celski, the young American speedskater who shares the home state of Washington with Ohno. Celski entered this wacky sport because he watched Ohno compete in the 2002 Salt Lake Games on television.

Celski nearly ended his Olympic bid at the United States nationals where he sliced open his right leg during a gruesome crash. He implored a doctor to snap a picture on his cellphone before surgery, before stitches, and Celski spent this week showing off the resulting gory pixels at the athletes' village.

On most other nights, the 19-year-old Celski would have been the story. But this night belonged to Ohno.

His latest medal placed him in the rarest air afforded not only speedskaters, but Winter Olympians in general. He passed Eric Heiden, another speedskater, who collected an unprecedented five golds in 1980. He passed every short-track skater who ever laced on skates. He tied Blair.

At as news conference earlier this week, Ohno deflected questions about history and insisted that breaking records had never been his focus. Afterward, he stuck with that theme, even if his scream suggested otherwise.

''These Olympics are about so much more than chasing medals,'' he said. ''It's about finishing my circle.''

Still, when Ohno arrived at these Games he immediately pronounced his physical condition as the best of his skating life. He arrived in Turin, Italy, in 2006 with a bum ankle and strained hamstring and still managed two medals in the most unpredictable of skating sports.

He arrived here with a body he described as 100 percent healthy, 20 pounds lighter than when he skated in 2002, with 2.8 percent body fat.

For the past two months, Ohno worked out three times daily. He lifted weights, ran and skated for longer than he had before, with greater purpose. His father, Yuki Ohno, said the preparations had gone perfectly.

Apolo Ohno, the precocious teenage skater at the Salt Lake Games, has officially grown up. He sees himself as more of an ambassador these days -- for this area, for his family, for his country and for history.

Yuki used to drive his son to Vancouver from Federal Way, Wash., and Seattle for competitions. Those memories, and the proximity to Ohno's roots, prompted his return to skating after forays into acting and his victory on the television show ''Dancing With the Stars.''

When the race ended, Ohno lingered, skating around the rink draped in the American flag. Yuki cheered from the stands, euphoria evident on his face.

This was Groundhog Day for the Ohno family: another race, another medal and, for Apolo Ohno, another star turn and another dance.

PHOTOS: The South Korean teammates Lee Ho-suk (242) and Sung Si-bak crashed into the wall on the final lap of the 1,500-meter final.; Apolo Ohno was second in the 1,500-meter final and tied Bonnie Blair for the most Winter Olympic medals by an American. (PHOTOGRAPHS BY CHANG W. LEE/THE NEW YORK TIMES)